ABCs

I wrote a second story for Journalism Practicum that just appeared on the Mount Angel Seminary Journalism Blog. This one is a different approach to looking at pastoral formation as part of the seminary experience.

The ABCs of Pastoral Formation

To know one's ABCs is to know the basics.  The alphabet in this article is used to present the basics of Mount Angel Seminary's program for pastoral formation, which is one of the four pillars of the preparation the seminarians undergo.  The other pillars are Academic, Human, and Spiritual.  The information in these ABCs comes from the Pastoral Formation Blue Book and interviews with Fr. Paul Peri, Director of Pastoral Formation, and Ms. Linda Showman, Associate Director of Pastoral Formation.

A is for Administration, a task Fr. Peri says takes about 80 percent of a parish priest's time in a large parish and includes budgeting, personnel decisions, facility maintenance, and liturgy planning, among many responsibilities.

B is for Blue Book, the locus of materials on the philosophy, programs, and procedures involved in pastoral formation.  Each seminarian receives a Blue Book.

C is for Catholic Parish Administration: A Handbook, the pocket-sized, big-picture manual outlining pastoral duties by Fr. Peri.  Contained in its pages is a synthesis of pastoral formation to help seminarians learn how to function successfully as administrators.
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Fr. Paul Peri, photo courtesy of the Mount Angel Abbey Communications Office

D is for Diaconate, the transitional year when pastoral formation ups the intensity with pastoral internships in parishes, confession and Mass practice, courses in counseling and spiritual direction, and comprehensive exams.

E is for Ethics, the principles that guide a seminarian's behavior while being honed in pastoral formation.  "The seminary and the site do not form the seminarian.  The seminary and the site provide the opportunity," the Blue Booksays.  "The seminarian, through his own application, effort, and openness, is formed and transformed through the work of the Spirit."

F is for Field Education, the primary shape pastoral formation takes for seminarians in College and Pre-Theology, though Theology students continue field education in addition to pastoral coursework.  Field education places seminarians in once-a-week assignments throughout the community serving as religious education assistants in parishes, volunteers in food banks, mentors for troubled youth, or sources of encouragement at assisted living centers, along with numerous other possibilities.  (To learn more about field education, read this story).

G is for Grades, something the seminarian receives as an indicator of learning but which is only a taste of future evaluation.  "Success is what kind of pastor he turns out to be in the years ahead," Fr. Peri said.  "I can give you a grade, but the real grade comes after ordination.  People vote with their feet."

H is for Homiletics: "Pastoral formation needs to emphasize the proclamation of God's Word, which is indeed the first task of the priest," the Program of Priestly Formation by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops says.  But beware, aspiring seminarians: Fr. Peri wryly admits he is infamous for falling asleep if a homily in preaching class doesn't keep his attention.

I is for Immersion, a one-day experience for seminarians in College One to be introduced to pastoral formation through ministry serving the community in Portland, reflecting on their encounter, and building fraternity.  College One seminarians do not have weekly field education assignments.

J is for Justice, a pivotal concept for seminarians working in pastoral placements that bring up issues of inequity.  "[Seminarians] also need to become aware of the social contexts and structures that can breed injustice as well as ways of promoting more just contexts and structures," theProgram of Priestly Formation says.

K is for Knowledge of the Faith, the foundation for teaching with authority on behalf of the Catholic Church.  Pastoral settings provide the venue for practicing the fruits of academic formation.

L is for Least of These, the people that are often the focus of field education assignments by seminarians and are named in Matthew's Gospel: the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, ill, and imprisoned.

M is for Mass Practice, which occurs in presiding class the final semester of pastoral formation and entails the simulation of a full Mass without a congregation, wine in the chalice, or transubstantiation of the elements.

N is for Needs, which each aspect of pastoral formation prepares seminarians to meet.  Seminarians practice meeting the needs of the people through sacraments, preaching, service, administration, counseling, and the many functions of the priest.

O is for Overlap, which the Blue Book says will arise frequently among the four pillars of priestly formation.  The Mount Angel Seminary Rule of Life says, "All four pillars of formation are interwoven and go forward concurrently.  Still, in a certain sense, pastoral formation is the culmination of the entire formation process."

P is for Pastores Dabo Vobis, the apostolic exhortation by Blessed Pope John Paul II outlining the four pillars of priestly formation: Academic, Human, Pastoral, and Spiritual.  "All priests are called to become aware of how especially urgent it is for them to receive formation at the present time," he wrote.  "The new evangelization needs new evangelizers, and these are the priests who are serious about living their priesthood as a specific path toward holiness."

Q is for Qualities, the unquantifiable results of pastoral formation that are born in an individual through the rigorous skill-building demands of the program.

R is for Relationships, which Fr. Peri says are the core of being a pastor, including relationships to one's bishop, the people of the parish, parish staff, and other faith communities.  "It's about being able to lead," Fr. Peri said.  "To teach, to lead, to preach.  All of that comes down to how you relate to your people."

S is for Supervisors, who oversee seminarians in their field education.  "The key to the success of [pastoral formation] is to have supervisors who will ease students into whatever particular assignment they have and direct them and mentor them," Ms. Showman said.  "For the seminarian that involves simply observing, and then modeling what you've observed and then bringing your own self to the project."
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Ms. Linda Showman, photo courtesy of the Mount Angel Abbey Communications Office

T is for Thursday, on which no afternoon classes are scheduled to allow many seminarians to attend their off-campus field education.  Sack lunches and dinners are prepared, the seminary fleet of vehicles put to use, and seminarians venture as far as Portland to serve.

U is for Universal Sacrament of Salvation, as Blessed Pope John Paul II defined the Church in Pastores Dabo Vobis.  Seminarians need practice serving the Church so that they can lift it up "as a living sign and instrument of the salvation wrought by Christ through the word, the sacraments, and the service of charity," he wrote.

V is for Vocation, upon which pastoral formation forces seminarians to reflect as they practice many of the skills and responsibilities that will be required of them if they are ordained as priests.

W is for Witness of Faith, the role undertaken by each seminarian in the experiences that compose the whole of pastoral formation.  Whether in parishes, prisons, schools, or assisted living centers, seminarians are called to "enter into communion with the charity of Christ the good shepherd"Pastores Dabo Vobis says.

X is for Experiences, the cumulative impact of which forms seminarians to act in the person of Christ.  "The object is to give seminarians as many varied kinds of experience as we can," Ms. Showman said.  "And to try to address zones in the person that may be less well-equipped or areas where someone might be downright fearful."

Y is for You, a reminder that transformation can only take place when the individual seminarian seeks inward growth through personal reflection and challenging one's skills to expand.  "You are formed to be a pastor, a priest after the heart of Jesus," Fr. Peri said.  "You have to be man; you have to be mature.  If you don't transform it, you transmit it."

Z is for Zeal for Charity, a call in Pastores Dabo Vobistoward which seminarians must aim.  "This program is able to build on the zeal that the seminarians already have and on their willingness to try new things," Ms. Showman said.

Joy & Sorrow

My iPhone flashed two notifications on Wednesday morning around 11 a.m. One was voicemail from my friend Johnny alerting me that white smoke arose from the Sistine Chapel, meaning a new pontiff had been selected by the conclave of Catholic Cardinals, a cause for great joy. The other was a text message from my friend Susie bearing news that a husband, father, engineer, and volunteer at my parish in Washington died early in the morning, leaving behind his wife and three children. I ached for their loss, so abrupt and wrenching -- a heart attack at age 52.

To be Catholic is to be present to both these situations. To be Catholic is to rejoice and to mourn. To be Catholic is to celebrate and grieve. To be Catholic is to enter into the full breadth and depth of the human experience, from the incredible conception of life in the womb to the natural end of life whenever that may be, and to embrace all life's experiences with joy.

In this moment of conflicting emotions I stood with my cell phone in hand and thought briefly that a priest must have these sorts of experiences often -- funeral in the morning, youth conference at night; counseling the downtrodden, then celebrating a wedding; providing viaticum and anointing the sick, and then baptizing newborns into the Church. The Catholic faith provides Sacraments that speak to the human need for celebration at key moments. We celebrate birth with baptism, the age of reason with Eucharist, turning to the Lord with Reconciliation, the stirring of the Spirit with Confirmation, love and vocation with Matrimony or Holy Orders, entrance into eternity with Anointing of the Sick. Our year includes feasts for saints and special occasions. Catholics are comprehensive.

The only way anything makes sense is on a foundation of hope. Cancer, heart attacks, car collisions, aneurysms, accidents -- all are agonizing as they afflict individuals, individuals who are loved by others and loved by God. I cannot put words to the grief of losing someone instantly as the family from my church did on Wednesday, but in the depths of our loss, Christ is on the cross. Suffering is our road to Calvary, the loss of loved ones our cross, but rather than be hung to die, we can sit at the feet our crucified Lord, for Jesus wept and died for us and with us. As Lent draws close to the Triduum, the hope of the Resurrection gives meaning to our existence.

The most repeated phrase in the New Testament is "Do not be afraid." A life beautifully and fully lived conquers fear. The man from my parish who died lived truly and fully, producing a faithful and flourishing family with his wife, giving meaning to the world through his work, and coming to know the Lord intimately. Suffering has no sting. Death has no victory. We know the end of the story. God wins. And we have reason to hope, even in moments of despair.

Pope Francis assumes leadership of the Church today in his installation Mass. What a time to shepherd God's people! There is great potential and great challenge to the Church, and here is one man asked to sacrifice, to listen, to lead, and to love God's people with the spotlight constantly upon his every action and word. Where to begin?! Our new holy father began by asking the faithful of the world to bless him. Not the other way around. He in turn blessed the people, but the significance of recognizing the Body of Christ in the people of God must be appreciated. We are pilgrims on the journey together.

Pope Francis stopped the motorcade on the way to his inauguration Mass this morning to bless an onlooker with a physical disability. We all would do well to follow his example of humility and hope, so that when moments of sorrow arise, when moments of joy spring up, we can share with the complete gift of ourselves. To be Catholic is nothing less.

Jezebel

For my Intro to the Bible class, each student is asked to make a 10-minute presentation on a Biblical character. I decided to try something new with my presentation by performing a Spoken Word poem. Spoken Word is a broad way of defining art that has to do with words. When I have seen Spoken Word, it's usually poetic, rhythmic, dramatic, artistic storytelling, often in a rhyming scheme, often set to music, sometimes with expressive movement or dance. Here is a powerful example of Spoken Word (which is also called Slam Poetry at times):


My version was fairly simple -- just the words, a few gestures, and the emotion of my voice. The topic: Jezebel, a wicked queen of Israel from 1 and 2 Kings. For a synopsis of Jezebel's life, see this paper. Now, here is Jezebel in Spoken Word. (Audience snapping commences.)

Repentance lacking, evil overwhelming. The Lord’s wrath and justice, finally fulfilled

Royalty demolished, flesh eaten by dogs. Upon the cold ground her blood was spilled.

This is Jezebel, the princess, the seductress, worshiper of idols, an entire nation’s distraction.

Wife of Ahab, daughter of Ethbaal, a queen evil in heart and eyes and action.

Even her name means “The Prince Baal exists.”

In all things, idolatry for Jezebel persists.

In First and Second Kings you find her story. The people wandering, drifting, devoid, and whining.

David and Solomon long past, with a slew of wicked kings and a kingdom now declining.

Then Ahab takes the throne, wicked at his root. He practices more evil than any who’d come before.

Worst of all, he marries Jezebel and through her comes to worship Baal, leading a nation to wrongly adore.

The prophet Elijah warned. Warning, warning of a famine on Israel that would be provoked.

Where is Baal now, Jezebel? Where is this god of weather you worship and invoke?

Elijah asked a challenge, a way to test the prophets. He stood alone as advocate of the Lord.

While 850 others idolized and fantasized and trivialized but could not actualize rain pour.

At the offering upon an altar, Elijah caused water to gush forth, as it would later from the Lord’s side.

Then fire consumed, the water vaporized, the false prophets brought to Kishon where in their pride they died.

Ahab tells his queen about Elijah, of Baal’s prophets slew.

Jezebel promises by day’s end the Lord’s prophet will be dead too.

Elijah runs in fear, camps in desert under tree, asks God that death might freeingly come unto thee.

Yet sustenance arrives. God comes not in wind or quake or fire but in the quiet voice that fulfills man’s desire.

Go, says God to prophet, rescue my people from Jezebel and Baal’s idolatrous demands.

So Elijah returned, life still intact, and somehow slipped through the evil queen’s hands.

The setting next moves to a vineyard, a family property, that of Naboth, of Jezreel.

Proximity made the land to Ahab appeal, but Naboth said no no matter how sweet the deal.

Anger rose in Ahab. How dare Naboth refuse the king?

He pouted and fasted, being unused to denial in anything.

Enter Jezebel, scheming, plotting, conniving. With the evil queen directing, Naboth’s death was sewn.

Accusing him of cursing God and king, she found false witnesses, had him tried, and stoned.

Death a weapon in quest of passions to be quenched, a vineyard now acquired by blood spilled.

Ahab went to claim the bounty of Jezebel’s deed, but Elijah called a curse upon those that killed.

Said prophet to king, “May evil be upon you, your lineage interrupted, the house of Ahab go asunder.

Your wife’s blood lapped by dogs, for you murdered to gain your plunder.”

Overcome, Ahab rued his action. Garments torn, sackcloth worn, fasting, and awareness of infraction.

Merciful again, God relented, and said punishing descendants would meet his satisfaction.

But no contrition in Jezebel was found. Divine clemency had no say.

She would meet disgrace by hound at unknown time and place and day.

When that day came, she knew and she withdrew to paint her face, adorn her hair, and prepare for demise.

Jehu, man of God, approached to crush the house of Ahab, and he met the aged queen’s eyes.

Swiftly he commanded she be thrown from her tower, stripped of her power, that her death come at that hour.

Falling, falling, soul dancing with doom, her body left for the mongrels to devour.

This is Jezebel, daughter of Hell, lonely bones all that linger

Disgraced, now dead, dogs having eaten all but skull and feet and fingers

Like dung in the field in the confines of Jezreel, says the Word.

That no body remain and no followers be retained, revealed, or heard.

This is Jezebel, symbol of sin, adorer of false deities, malevolent, covetous, coarse

She that led God’s people into sin, seduced, and killed without remorse.

Even now does her name bear meaning: false prophets, fallen women, idolatry, immorality.

Sin unchecked leads to deeds deplorable, and we should recall repentance’s centrality.

There is one God and we shall have no more.

Bear the cautionary tale of Jezebel and the Lord alone adore.